Do your family snapshots grab you by the throat?

[percepts]

http://www.dayswithmyfather.com

[BarryS]

That is...incredible work.

[Jan Pedersen]

Thanks for posting. Very emotional and deeply touching.

[csant]

Thank you for sharing this. It is truely beautiful, emotional work.

[jb7]

very moving...

[Robert A. Zeichner]

Powerful stuff.

[Michael Spear]

A beautiful epitaph for your father and mother. Your honest and gentle approach to an impossible subject is heart warming.

Mike

[johnschlicher]

This is great work, it touches your heart in every conceivable way

Good job

John

[eddie]

beautiful work.....touching.

[Andrea Gazzoni]

can't stop watching... I've had a similar experience... this is a well done painting

great work
andre

[Allen in Montreal]

Great project.
Beautifully done.

[Simon Benton]

Very moving - kindled memories of my parents.

[Miguel Coquis]

http://www.dayswithmyfather.com
Do your family snapshots grab you by the throat?

This pictures are of great interest, reminds me some work I have done with aged people. The most difficult, perhaps, is when it concerns one's own family. Here is a link for an article and a photograph that might meet up with the initial question (Do your family snapshots grab you by the throat?).

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/the-broader-picture-father-figures-1101386.html

http://macoquis.caraldi.com/scaled/Autumn%20Portraits/descanzo.jpg

[Jerry Bodine]

Moving, indeed ... I can relate. A 10-tissue work, like reading underwater. Excellent, very well done.

[percepts]

A beautiful epitaph for your father and mother. Your honest and gentle approach to an impossible subject is heart warming.

Mike


Not my work. Posted just because...

[Rodney Polden]

Thank you for that link, percepts - a real gift to pass on. I just sent it to both my girls.

[jb7]

These pictures do make you stop, and think-

But since we're all involved in the production, as well as the consumption of images,
there are maybe other things to notice-
all the pictures are so carefully composed so as to exclude all clutter-
it just doesn't exist-

Does that mean that the clutter was removed for the purpose of making photographs,
or that it didn't exist in the first place?

I know that in most people's homes, especially those of a certain age,
a lifetime's worth of memorabilia and possessions will take over the space,
and your photographic compositions will lose some of their power and directness-
I couldn't expect to replicate the power of this series of images without arguing with my parents about the removal of their stuff-

It looks like theses pictures have been stripped bare to begin with,
although, equally, I could be just imposing my own experiences onto them-

However, part of the power of this series of pictures is the absence of any distractions, and I thought it might be worth noting-

Very moving stuff though, beautifully written, almost like turning the pages in a child's story book...


joseph

[percepts]

I noticed that too. But I think its the younger couples flat and beleive it or not, there are people who don't fill their house with trinkets.
Less is more...

[jb7]

I didn't get that, from my reading- in fact, the opposite, from talk of visits, and closets-

Less is more...
must remember that one-

The visual style of this series relies on the absence of everything not directly supporting the narrative-
That's all I was attempting to say-

[sun of sand]

Nice little keepsake project but doesn't do anything for me
I dont know the man and eventhough I can understand
This happens everywhere
I cant imagine a gallery full of these
Its personal

Makes me wonder why people may care about this sort of work


Post mortem photos of the victorian age
Nobody gets worked up over those on ebay
Would an album full
Is it just because this is sort of in his last/later years having such a difficult time
is it because he's fearful/scared/coming to terms
Because we're scared for him
Because we're scared of ourselves aging/dying
to make us feel good about ourselves
maybe because we dont have the tight familial bonds people used to have
we create a book of their everyday lives over a week/month/year span to make it seem we've been there more than we have
Because we care when others care
Because we'd like our important people to be important to others
feel pressured for all these reasons to make yourself fall in line with what society tells us to be "_____" good or whatever


People age and die everywhere all the time
its normal
Not sure life nearest death should be celebrated any more than life at any other point
I dont think its any more significant because soon we wont have chances for new memories
it begins and ends its happy and its sad and its life
I just dont get it

soak up the last days sure but if you need to soak them up to make up for ______
thats what really sad


My grandfather is having a rough time of it right now and during my last visit -for my fathers wedding-I was basically in charge of taking care of him
he was a bit of a mess and in a lot of pain
He didn't like me having to do things for him but was always appreciative that I cared enough to not say anything about his wet sheets middle of the night or his walking around in the buff or moanful halfsleep, endlessly repeating stories, or meal/meds preparation
It was an honor for me
I got to experience him during that time of his life but its not more important to me in any way than going fishing with him or hitting balls at the range years prior in good health

second to last day of trip we had a bit of an emergency and every checkup the very attractive young nurse made would cause his pulse to rise
That's what I remember about that time with him ..that undying optimism
but ... when that day comes I wont be remembering him only as this feeble dude and I don't need to remind myself that I CAN care for such people

[J Ney]

This was very touching for me as I was taking care of my elderly father for many years before we had to put him in an assisted living facility and I think what this captures so well is the contrast between the father as a young, virile man and an older, decrepit man suffering from dementia. For myself, that has always been the toughest part (and it really only applies to parents that have taken care of you).

The role-reversal between you and the person that wiped your butt as a baby is just staggering and when you have to live that way for years and years it has the potential of burning you out.

The comment about people aging and dying as a natural process is absoutely correct but - with medical advancements - the natural process has become almost perverted with people being kept alive by technical advances long after their natural time had come. An example is my father (93, survivor of polio)... he has severe dementia and a myriad of other illnesses and he likely should have died years ago (he can no longer do anything on his own and is barely conscious) but I recall a time that we were sure he was going to pass and I was there saying good bye to him and I felt his pulse and it was still a strong, steady 60 beats per minute. His pacemaker is still thumping and that is likely the only thing keeping him alive.
I truly can relate to the artist's comment about "part of me wants him to go too" and it just tears you up inside to think that.

I don't know the artist and I don't know his intent but I would wager that this is not meant to be a celebration... rather this is his form of grieving or - possibly - therapy.

[Lee Christopher]

Thank you for sharing that percepts.

[frank hoerauf]

Nice little keepsake project but doesn't do anything for me
I dont know the man and eventhough I can understand
This happens everywhere
I cant imagine a gallery full of these
Its personal

Makes me wonder why people may care about this sort of work


Post mortem photos of the victorian age
Nobody gets worked up over those on ebay
Would an album full
Is it just because this is sort of in his last/later years having such a difficult time
is it because he's fearful/scared/coming to terms
Because we're scared for him
Because we're scared of ourselves aging/dying
to make us feel good about ourselves
maybe because we dont have the tight familial bonds people used to have
we create a book of their everyday lives over a week/month/year span to make it seem we've been there more than we have
Because we care when others care
Because we'd like our important people to be important to others
feel pressured for all these reasons to make yourself fall in line with what society tells us to be "_____" good or whatever


People age and die everywhere all the time
its normal
Not sure life nearest death should be celebrated any more than life at any other point
I dont think its any more significant because soon we wont have chances for new memories
it begins and ends its happy and its sad and its life
I just dont get it

soak up the last days sure but if you need to soak them up to make up for ______
thats what really sad


My grandfather is having a rough time of it right now and during my last visit -for my fathers wedding-I was basically in charge of taking care of him
he was a bit of a mess and in a lot of pain
He didn't like me having to do things for him but was always appreciative that I cared enough to not say anything about his wet sheets middle of the night or his walking around in the buff or moanful halfsleep, endlessly repeating stories, or meal/meds preparation
It was an honor for me
I got to experience him during that time of his life but its not more important to me in any way than going fishing with him or hitting balls at the range years prior in good health

second to last day of trip we had a bit of an emergency and every checkup the very attractive young nurse made would cause his pulse to rise
That's what I remember about that time with him ..that undying optimism
but ... when that day comes I wont be remembering him only as this feeble dude and I don't need to remind myself that I CAN care for such people

[frank hoerauf]

looks like someone got up on the wrong side of the bed today